The Adamant Commonwealth
Lead by a ruling council known as the ‘Bronze Directorate’ consisting of influential members of the nation, both from industry, commercial and military sides. The Half-Dwarves of the Adamant Isles are home to some of the most industrialized and tech-savvy races in the world. Through the fire and ash of their ancestors, rose a powerful nation that came to dominate the world in technology, industry, and economy. They are sometimes referred to as the “Phoenix State” by the Humans of Hafgar. Come the discovery of Arcyte, the Half-Dwarves welcomed the magical properties of the ore. They immediately established an intense R&D department within a remote outpost in the Adamant wildlands. They were the leading front in arcyte research, overtaking the now arcyte juggernaut of the Cerulean Confederacy. However, their immediate rush to the forefront of arcyte research came at an ultimate price. “The Cordon” constantly remains a threat to the Commonwealth, and their anti-magic sentiment forms the backbone of their society. Leadership The Bronze Directorate is lead by these influential dwarves: Hargul Sark Executive Director Hargul ‘Stoneshaper’ Sark currently heads the Bronze Directorate as the chief representative of industry, also current owner of Sark Manufactory, the most influential industrial power inside the commonwealth. He is stocky, like all of his race, and has a well-groomed appearance. His hair is long, oily and blonde though grey is starting to show through with his old age. His beard is neatly trimmed, kept short like most of his kin involved in industry to minimise injuries in the workplace. A very skilled blacksmith, Hargul’s involvement in management and politics has not dulled his skills as an artisan. Sark Manufactory is the only producer of Anti-Magic technology, though further investigation as to how they produce it only results in being face to face with a barred door. Nirud Lorgus Supreme Commander Nirud ‘Gutbuster’ Lorgus is the overall leader of the commonwealth’s military. Incredibly patriotic, Nirud earned his reputation (and middle-name simultaneously) as a valiant leader during an engagement against the bulk of the ork fleet when it besieged the Commonwealth capital of Strabek. While the coastline fortifications provided more than enough defenses, Nirud sailed out at the head of a Half-Dwarf fleet to meet the orks attacks with a response of his own. His battleship which became known as Siegebreaker, drove through the blockade of ork ships to battle the flagship of the ork commander. Briefly exchanging brutal broadsides against one another, Nirud stubbornly stood his ground and counterattacked by leading a boarding action against them at the head of his personal guard. The ork commander, a rather obese but powerful warrior, met Nirud on the deck of the ship. However, Nirud’s hammer would repetitively strike the ork’s stomach mainly due to the height difference the two races have. Blow after blow he landed, howling in berserker rage until finally Nirud reduced the ork’s belly, and form in general, to nothing more than a broken husk. With the death of their commander, the orks retreated. The remainders of Nirud’s fleet returned back to the capitals fortifications victorious. Ever since that day, Nirud’s fame (and subsequently infamy to other races), has only increased in size with his rank of Supreme Commander. Baron Torwud Councillor ‘Baron’ Torwud the Ever-Fortunate is considered the richest merchant of the commonwealth, heading the commercial section of his people. A former pirate, he is a cunning opportunist with his passion for making money going hand in hand with his desire to further his people. Though, his public image of a selfless contributor and investor in the commonwealth and its people is highly fabricated. Torwud in actuality is self-centered and egotistical, his attire made of the finest fabrics, his ginger beard long and braided in various places. His hair is styled into dreadlocks, a rather obvious nod to his past career choice. Religion Adamant Commonwealth Religion is devotion to creation and to the land, taking the Dwarven origins of the commonwealth into the modern times. Prospectors, forge-users, various commercial and industrial members of the Adamant Commonwealth pay homage to ‘the Great Dwarf’ as their patron saint. Due to their religion, commonwealth members have a tendency to be appear greedy and selfish when they interact with beings outside of the commonwealth. Technology & Society Va'Dua'de society encourages technological progression due to equal opportunity it gives, rather than magic being a specific resource meant for a certain class of people. Whether or not this is true, or is simply fear-mongering from the Directorate is unsure. But one thing is for certain: The Va'Dua'de people view magic with fear and disgust. A magical disaster consumed an entire mountainholme killing thousands of people, and displacing even more. Commonwealth society is molded together out of the ideals of industry, commerce and military being the primary features of their civilization. Each is engraved into the Va'Dua'de people's mind. There is no segregation on gender in the Commonwealth, women and men are usually treated equal due to the strength Dwarvish ancestry has given to these people. Men and women work alongside one another in factories, on the battlefield, in medical practice, and even research fields. There is no distinction. Architecture The shape of dwarven structures is often very geometric and refined. Chiseled to the point, Va'Dua'de architecture is methodical and practiced. Thousands of years of stone and iron working has allowed the Va'Dua'de to construct massive cities inside mountains, hundreds of miles deep of stone and iron. Generally these structures taken on a bronze or copper appearance on metal surfaces, though crimson red is displayed as primary color. Military The Military of the Adamant Commonwealth employ a large section of advanced ballistic solid slug weaponry. Where the other armies of the world would typically employ some form of bolt-action or semi-auto rifle, the Adamant military employs assault rifles en masse. Even the lowliest of grunts use automatic weaponry. Frontline Battalion The Frontline Battalion is fairly straightforward. If you are a grunt in the Adamant military, you are apart of the Battalion. From general to private, most Va'Dua'de in the military fall into this category. The Frontline Battalion is unique in that all of their soldiers use automatic weaponry. On top of that, their officers generally employ some sort of antimage armor. Manabane Battalion Section of military equipped with armor/equipment that negates magical effects labelled as ‘Manabane Battalion,’ employing the use of close-quarter weapons and shock tactics such as Impact Hammers. The Manabane prefer to use their anti-magical armor to get up into close combat with mages to dispatch them quickly. The Impact Hammers allow the Va'Dua'de to be effective at both close and long range. Bronze War Forge Division The tanks of the Adamant Commonwealth are unique. They are formidable in combat, and often are both feared and respected throughout the world. Unlike most other factions that use infantry as shock troops for first deployments, the Bronze War Forge Division deploys tank as the Vanguard for any invading force. They are the first in, and last out. Most armor under the War Forge Division is capable of switching armament in a moments notice due to their plethora of war smiths and their mobile forge-trucks. In that the forge-trucks not only serve as mass infantry transport, but also can deploy into mobile forges for war smiths to repair and maintain the military's equipment in protracted military campaigns. Directorate Battalion The Directorate Battalion are special forces of the Adamant Commonwealth trained to protect not only the ruling council, but other interests as well. They are given the best training, equipment, and have nearly unlimited resources when operating within Commonwealth jurisdiction. Anti-Magic Technology The Va'Dua'de have developed anti-magic technology capable of actually absorbing and even nullifying the effects of mages. While generally very costly to field, AMT's are only deployed when hunting down extremely dangerous mages or magical entities. However, magical absorption is a very common among officers of the Frontline Battalions.